Leg Wound
by Eternal Soldier
Summary: Sequel to Reunion. Based on episode 5x01 Nameless, Faceless. All Morgan and Reid wanted after Canada was to hold each other. But it seemed that there was no rest for the wicked, with one of the team in grave danger, and one of the couple at risk as well.


**A/N: I know it's taken a long time, but I've finally finished the next story in my Reid/Morgan series! This is the 5th in the series, and is the sequel to _Reunion_. It is based off of 5x01 Nameless, Faceless, so there are major spoilers for that episode, as well as the finale of season 4. There are parts that are taken directly from the episode, but it is like my own version of the episode (like a 'what if Reid and Morgan were together' kind of thing), like _Pain in Amplification_ was. So anyway, time to read _Leg Wound_!**

**Oh, and this is rated 'M' for smut. And if you haven't figured it out yet, this is slash. You have been warned!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters.**

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><p><em>Leg Wound<em>

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><p>Spencer Reid had seen some pretty gruesome and horrible stuff in his time at the BAU. It was to be expected, considering they investigated the country's most terrible killers. But everything that had happened in Canada… that was some of the worst Reid had ever seen. The younger brother, Lucas Turner, performing experiments on his victims, killing them and feeding them to his pigs, all to try and 'fix' his quadriplegic brother, Mason… Reid could never have believed it until he saw it. It was straight out of a horror movie. For once in his life, Reid cursed his eidetic memory for not letting him forget what he had seen. He really, really wanted to forget.<p>

Derek Morgan, Reid's boyfriend and lover of nearly four months now, was like Reid in wanting to forget the horrors they had seen in Canada. But luckily, they had each other to try and relieve the memories. The second they were alone, back at their home in Virginia, the pair had fallen into each other's arms, holding on as tightly as they possibly could. There was no thought of anything else- only comfort.

"That one was horrible, Derek," Reid whispered, resting his head on Morgan's shoulder.

"I know," Morgan whispered back, stroking Reid's hair with one hand and holding him close with the other; comforting him yet drawing comfort from him at the same time. "I mean, we've both seen a lot since we've been in the BAU, but that… that was something else."

"You know, I wasn't that far away when William Hightower shot Mason," said Reid. "I heard JJ yelling at someone, and then I heard the shot go off, and I didn't see it, but I- I knew. I knew what had happened. It was the only thing that made sense." Reid sighed, absent-mindedly rubbing Morgan's back with one hand. "Especially when I came out of that barn, and I saw Garcia crying, and JJ standing over a cuffed Hightower. And in the barn itself, everything I saw there… it just made me feel so sorry for Lucas. He was just trying to help his brother, y'know? He wasn't a psychopath… Mason was."

"I'm sorry I left you back at that farm, pretty boy," Morgan whispered earnestly. "I was just- I had to get out of there. I just couldn't stay."

"I understand," said Reid quickly, but Morgan wasn't finished.

"Part of me wishes I _had _stayed behind, though," he said. "Because if I had, I wouldn't have had to watch Lucas Turner get shot. That should _never_ have happened."

"It shouldn't have," Reid agreed, and the couple fell silent again. Left to their own thoughts about the case, but at the same time thinking _at least I've got you to help me forget_.

It wasn't long before the two men headed to bed, too tired and too drained to do anything else. They got into their sleepwear, and climbed into bed in their usual positions; Morgan lying with his arms around Reid, and Reid curled up with his head resting on Morgan's naked chest. It took a long time for both men to fall asleep- they had far too much on their minds to be able to drift off so quickly. It may have been the middle of the night, but that didn't make sleeping any easier.

It seemed that they had been asleep for only moments when the home phone began to ring loudly, piercing the quiet and pulling the two men from their sleep. "Whoever it is, tell them to go away," Morgan grumbled. "We've only had four hours of sleep."

Reid, his eyes barely open, reached over and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"_Hey, Spence, I am so, so sorry to wake you and Derek up_," said JJ.

"We have a case, don't we?" Reid sighed, blinking furiously to try and wake up properly. Hearing Reid's words, Morgan opened his eyes, propping himself on one elbow to watch the young genius through shuttered eyes.

"_Unfortunately, yeah_," JJ replied. "_I know none of us have had very much sleep, but the police told me it was urgent. And it's here in DC, so at least we don't have to go anywhere_."

Reid sighed again, fixing his disappointed gaze on Morgan. "We really don't have a choice about going, do we?"

JJ gave a dry laugh. "_No we don't, unfortunately_," she said._ "Oh, and do you think you could leave right now? I need somebody else here with me at the crime scene straight away, and I haven't been able to get a hold of Hotch yet_."

"I'll come," said Reid. "I think Derek's going to take a little bit longer to get ready than me. He usually does. See you soon, Jayje."

JJ laughed. "_Bye, Spencer_." Reid hung up the phone, giving Morgan a grim smile. "We have a case. Local."

Morgan groaned, rolling over and burying his face in his pillow. "Do we ever catch a break?" he said.

"Apparently not," said Reid. "Killers never rest, so I guess we don't get to either." Reid swung his legs out of the bed, before turning back to face Morgan. "JJ wants me there ASAP. She hasn't been able to get onto Hotch yet, and she's the only one at the crime scene at the moment. You mind if I go on ahead without you?"

"Well, I'd much rather it if you stayed here with me, and we never got up at all and we were just lying in bed all day, but I don't think I have that option," said Morgan. "Go. I'll see you at the crime scene, okay?"

Reid smiled, leaning down to kiss Morgan before getting up and looking for a fresh set of clothes. "I'll see you really soon, okay?" he said when he was ready. "I love you."

"I love you too, baby," Morgan replied, as Reid headed out the door. Morgan let out a long sigh, before managing to get himself out of bed. He could already tell that this was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p>Reid was already halfway to the crime scene by the time Morgan had managed to start getting dressed for work. He cursed silently to himself as he drove; this case couldn't have come at a worse time. After everything the team had seen in Canada, Reid knew that all any of them wanted to do was sleep. But they didn't have that option. Their UnSubs didn't sleep, so, unfortunately, neither did the agents pursuing them.<p>

Reid arrived at the crime scene, to find only JJ's car parked alongside the police cruisers. Reid parked his own car, flashing his badge to the cops outside before heading up to see JJ.

"Hey, Spence," JJ sighed with relief, hugging him quickly before backing away. "Thanks so much for coming so quickly."

"It's no problem, Jayje," Reid assured her. "Really. Derek's going to be here in a bit; he was just getting out of bed as I was walking out the door."

JJ chuckled. "Typical Morgan." She turned to the cop that was standing beside the body. "This is Detective Walker, from the Metro PD. Detective, this is Dr. Spencer Reid."

"I know you haven't had very much sleep, so I'm very grateful to you for being here," said the detective.

"It's no problem at all, Detective," Reid assured the man, taking the case file that was handed to him and sitting down, reading it. "Have you heard from Hotch yet?" he asked JJ as he read, his finger running down the page.

"No, not yet," JJ replied. "But that's not necessarily unusual, he's probably too deeply asleep, or his phone's on vibrate or something. All the others are on their way, though. And Garcia's on her way in to the office."

"Good," said Reid. "Because we're going to need to solve this one quickly. It looks like this guy isn't going to stop until he get what he wants, so we're going to need to get him before he does."

* * *

><p>Morgan, sunglasses on, mouth set in a hard line and his eyebrows almost meeting in the middle, strode purposefully past the policemen and their cruisers towards their crime scene, where David Rossi was waiting for him. "We're not working a case. Why call us to a crime scene?" Morgan asked.<p>

"I was hoping you would know," Rossi admitted.

Emily Prentiss ducked under the crime scene tape and walked up to her fellow agents. "JJ said the police told her it was urgent," she said as she stopped beside them.

"Four hours of sleep after what we went through in Canada, it better be," said Morgan, almost angrily.

"Where's Reid, by the way?" Prentiss asked as they walked into the building.

"JJ asked Reid to come straight away, because she was at the crime scene alone and needed his help," Morgan replied. "He's already here."

The three agents entered one of the rooms in the building, to find Reid sitting down and flipping through the case file, and JJ walking back towards the body and them. "Hey, guys, over here," she said, her phone in hand. "You guys remember Detective Walker."

"Thanks for being here," said Walker as he shook the agents' hands. "I understand none of you are working on much rest."

"Who's the victim?" Rossi asked.

"His name is Nelson Martinez," Detective Walker answered. "From what we can figure, he answered his door, was forced into the apartment at gunpoint, and then shot in the chest. It was all pretty sloppy."

"No disrespect, but I don't understand why you need us here," Morgan said.

"Two days ago, a local doctor named Tom Barton found a note addressed to him at the hospital," Walker explained. "It said the person was planning to kill his son. If Dr Barton tried to keep his boy hidden, one person would die every day in his place." Prentiss, Morgan and Rossi looked shocked at the detective's words.

"And you think this is connected?" said Prentiss.

"The note is signed 'LC'," Reid spoke up.

"Yesterday we had another victim, multiple gunshots outside the apartment. The shooter wrote 'LC' in white chalk next to the body," Walker added.

"Now, unless Dr Barton puts his son in harm's way, we're gonna keep having a victim a day," said Reid, looking around at the team.

"Where's Barton now?" Rossi asked.

"He's at home," said JJ, looking up from her phone. "He doesn't know about this victim yet."

"Where's Hotch?" Prentiss asked suddenly.

"He's not answering his cell," JJ replied. "I assume it's on vibrate. He'll get the message when he wakes up."

"Try him again," Rossi suggested. "He can meet us at Barton's house." JJ nodded and the team left the crime scene, heading for Dr Barton's house.

"You fully awake now?" Reid asked Morgan's jokingly as they drove.

"Very funny, pretty boy," Morgan laughed. "Yes, I'm awake now, thank you. I pretended I had to rescue you from some crazed UnSub or you'd been hurt again. That woke me up a whole lot faster than any coffee could."

"Now who's trying to be funny?" Reid chuckled. "You just wanted to see me again, didn't you?"

"Maybe," said Morgan, extending the 'a', grinning as he looked sideways at his lover. He let out a sigh as they pulled up at their crime scene. "Back to work mode," he sighed as they climbed out of the car.

The two agents entered the house, where the rest of the team (still sans Hotch) was waiting for them, having explained to Dr Barton what had happened that morning.

"Dr Barton, where is your son right now?" Prentiss asked.

"Um, I asked him to stay up in his room," Dr Barton explained, clearly agitated. Fear for his son's life was obvious in his body language.

"What did you tell him?" said JJ.

Dr Barton cleared his throat, trying to keep himself calm. "I told him that there was a threat against me at the hospital," he said. I told him that the police didn't take it seriously, but they wanted me to stay here for a few days and that I wanted him here with me."

"And Jeffrey's mother?" said Rossi.

"She died when he was ten. Breast cancer," the doctor explained. "Would someone really hurt Jeffrey?"

"Two people are dead already," said Rossi. "Whoever sent that note is obviously serious."

"And if I don't let Jeffrey out of the house, another person is going to die?" said Barton, getting more agitated by the moment. Just watching the man, the team knew that they would have to solve this one fast.

"Right now we have to assume that he will keep killing," said Morgan.

"My son is fifteen years old," said Barton, getting angry.

"I understand," said Morgan.

"I cannot put him in danger," said Barton.

"We are not asking you to," said Prentiss hurriedly. "And even if you were willing, we couldn't send him to school knowing he would endanger every student in the building."

"What we need to do now is go over everything we know," Rossi explained. "Piece together how this person fits into your life."

"Well, I- I can't think of anyone who would want to kill Jeffrey," said Barton.

"Whoever wrote that note was putting you on notice. This is personal," Prentiss informed the doctor. "He wants you to remember who he is, and until that happens, he hasn't accomplished what he set out to do."

"I know you've been asked this before, but _please _think again," Morgan implored. "Do you know _anyone_ with the initials 'LC?"

Dr Barton let out a long sigh, shaking his head. "I've looked everywhere," he said. "Day planner, emails, patient lists. There's no one."

"Have you noticed anyone who might have been watching you, either at the hospital or here in the neighbourhood?" Prentiss asked.

Once again, Doctor Barton shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"Both the victims he's killed have been Hispanic men in their 40s," said Detective Walker. "Have you had a patient recently that fits the description?"

"I'm a trauma surgeon in DC," Barton reminded them. "I have endless patients, all demographics."

"We're going to need records of all your recent surgeries," said Rossi.

"Of course."

"I'll call Garcia," said JJ, leaving the room as she pulled out her phone.

"I-I don't understand," Barton stammered. "If he's mad at me, why not just kill me?"

Suddenly, a phone in the room began to ring. "It's mine," Doctor Barton announced, picking up his cell phone. "Hello?" His expression instantly became one of confusion and a small amount of panic. "What's happening? Are you okay?" Morgan instantly began running up the stairs two at a time, heading straight for the boy's room. "Jeffrey, what's going on?" Morgan threw open the boy's door, and saw the open window.

He was gone.

"Talk to me," Barton was saying into the phone. Morgan walked back out onto the landing, leaning over the railing to talk to the others. "He's not up here," he announced.

"Jeffrey, _where are you_?" Barton said. "Jeffrey…" He hung up the phone after another few moments and turned to look at everyone else, panic-stricken. "He's at school."

"Alright, some of us need to get over there, to protect Jeffrey," Morgan decided. Since Hotch wasn't here, he had to take charge. "I'll go over there, and I think JJ should come to help talk to the principal and the other teachers. Detective Walker should come to, and we might need somebody else to help protect the school."

"I'll stay here," Reid announced. "I can go through Doctor Barton's files faster than anybody else. Plus if I go to the school, I may get, um, distracted." Reid looked down after he'd finished talking, blushing. No one on the team had to ask Reid how he'd get distracted. They all knew - Especially Morgan – the Doctor and the Detective looked at the man curiously, though let the matter drop, a more pressing issue occupying their thoughts.

"I'll go with you then, Morgan," Rossi decided. "Prentiss can stay here with Doctor Barton and Reid."

Morgan, Rossi, JJ and Detective Walker headed out the door, but before anyone could stop them, Barton ran after them.

"Doctor Barton, please," Prentiss called, chasing after him.

"You need to go back inside," Rossi told him, turning around.

"I'm coming with you. I'm going to get my son," said Barton.

"Sir, right now, nobody is getting your son," said Morgan.

"Agent Prentiss will explain it," JJ said.

"I don't need an explanation. I'm getting Jeffrey," Barton exclaimed, agitated.

"You need to listen right now," said Rossi, blocking the doctor's path. "Once your son left this house, the safest place for him to be is at that school."

"We can control access in and out," Morgan explained. "Detective Walker will organise an evacuation as soon as the school day is done, but if we incite a panic now and the UnSub is outside, a lot of kids are gonna die."

"What if the killer's already at the school?" Barton asked.

"Then we'll be there, too," JJ replied.

"Let us do our job," Rossi implored.

"Jeffrey knows better than this. He doesn't put himself in danger," Barton said.

"I think he's just trying to do the right thing," said Morgan. "He sees what his father does for a living. This is his way of trying to save lives, too."

"You'll be there?" Barton asked.

"Yes," Rossi replied.

Barton thought for a moment, until a look of resignation appeared on his face. He nodded slowly, his eyes pleading with the agents. "Tell him I'm not mad at him," he said. "Tell him I love him and I'm… I'm proud of him."

"We will," Morgan promised. The three agents and the detective turned and left, and Prentiss led Doctor Barton back inside to Reid.

Working that day was hard for Reid. He called Garcia to send him the full medical charts of all of Barton's patients, and the sheer number of them astounded even Reid, who could read through them much faster than anyone else. Reid's reading speed wouldn't be of any use here, though, as they needed Doctor Barton to go through the files as well.

Not only that, but Reid wanted to be in Morgan's arms right then more than ever. He was completely exhausted after Canada, and he'd barely had any sleep. The horrors they had seen on that case were still fresh in Reid's mind, even as he read through all the medical files in front of him. He wanted to forget what he had seen, at least as much as he could with his eidetic memory, and he needed Morgan to do that. But there was no way they could be alone together until after this case was solved, and time was of the essence. And so, with thoughts of Morgan and comfort and rest taking up part of his mind, Reid worked.

Working wasn't any easier for Morgan over at Jeffrey Barton's school, either. Unlike Reid, Morgan couldn't think about Canada or anything and work on their case at hand at the same time, so he had to push those thoughts to the back of his mind, focusing on this case as much as he could. It was a good thing, too- they were having a hard time convincing the principal of the school to let the day run as normal.

"I need to notify all the parents," Principal Findlay was saying.

"We think that's a mistake," Rossi said.

"I'm in charge of keeping these kids safe," she protested.

"Exactly," said JJ. "And there's a natural end to this day, when buses and parents come to pick these kids up."

"Whoever's doing this is not an effectual shooter," Morgan spoke up. "His killings are sloppy. So, if there's a panic, a lot of people could be caught in a crossfire."

"Can't you just take Jeffrey home?" Findlay asked.

"If we do that and the UnSub is watching, someone else is going to be killed," Rossi warned.

"Then, what?" said Findlay.

"We lock up every filter point except the front door," said Rossi. "Nobody comes in. We say it's school policy. No questions. And if someone needs to see a student, we bring the kids to them."

"I'll need a complete list and employment records of everyone already inside the building," JJ said.

"I'll brief your security guards and take care of all the exits," Rossi assured Findlay. After that, I need you to gather the faculty into small groups and bring them to me. Treat it as routine."

"And in the meantime, I need you to get Jeffrey out of class as casually as possible," Morgan added. "Can you do that?" The principal nodded, leaving the room. After Morgan talked to Jeffrey about the situation, he patrolled the corridors that day with the others, trying to keep Jeffrey safe. Try as he might, though, part of Morgan's mind wasn't at the school with him- it was across town with Reid, yearning to be comfortable in his boyfriend's arms once again.

* * *

><p>Reid was still sitting in Doctor Barton's living room with the doctor and Prentiss, sorting through the immense stack of medical files in front of them. "Let's concentrate on the note," Reid said. "For starters, we know that he's male.<p>

"How can you be sure?" Barton asked.

"Women tend to add adjectives and very specific details to their notes. This has none of those," Prentiss explained.

"Males are also more direct," Reid explained. "First sentence, 'I plan to kill your son'."

"And their notes tend to be more about themselves than the person they're writing to," said Prentiss. "'I watched you every day. I will watch you lose everything'."

"We know he surveilled you and your son, which means he either has enough money to be away from a regular job or he's currently unemployed," said Reid.

"He's most likely a father, he's clearly grieving. He's taken great measures to make sure that you feel his pain," said Prentiss.

"Let's start with cases involving teenagers killed, but also anyone with a strong family presence," Reid suggested. "Just because your son is fifteen, doesn't necessarily mean that his child is the same age."

"Have you had a lot of cases like this, where someone taunts you with what you're going to do?" Barton asked.

"A few," Prentiss replied, looking away from Barton uncomfortably.

"How do they end?" he asked. Neither agent spoke; they just looked away from Barton, unwilling to answer. "Please."

"Suicide by cop seems to be an effective way for them to make their point while ending their suffering all at once," Reid admitted.

Unnerved by Reid's answer, Doctor Barton looked over at the clock. "Jeffrey is leaving school in five hours," he said. "There's no way we can get through all these patients in this time."

"Well know, we've narrowed it down already," Prentiss said reassuringly.

"And we still have 100 left," Barton retorted. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be callous, but when you work in the ER you don't remember names. You operate and you move on."

"He's right," Prentiss sighed. "There are too many files here for us to profile in such a short period of time." She rose to her feet, looking at her watch. "I can get to Hotch's and get back here in half an hour," she suggested.

"Who's that?" Barton asked.

"That's our supervisor. We weren't supposed to work today. We're having trouble getting a hold of him," Reid explained.

"But we need more eyes," said Prentiss, leaving the room.

"The note doesn't say that he'll kill Jeffrey today," Barton pointed out as soon as Prentiss had gone. "It says 'if not today, tomorrow, or the next day'. Let's say he gets home safe. How long will you all be around to make sure he's okay?"

"Let's just get through today," said Reid.

The two men continued to work in silence, both eagerly waiting Prentiss's return with Hotch, so they could get through the files faster and find their UnSub. Reid was just beginning to wonder where she had gotten to when his phone started to ring. It was her. "Hey," he said into the phone.

"_Something's happened_," Prentiss said hurriedly.

"What?" Reid gasped.

"_Hotch is missing,_" she said.

"What are you talking about?"

"What's going on?" Barton asked.

Reid held up a finger to silence Barton, listening to what Prentiss was saying. "_I'm in his apartment right now. He's not here_."

"Is this about Jeffrey?" Barton said.

"No, no. It's unrelated," said Reid dismissively.

"We only have a few hours left here," Barton reminded him.

"I'm really sorry," Reid apologised. "I have to take this phone call, okay?"

"What could be more important than my son right now?" Barton demanded.

"I assure you this will take one second," said Reid. "Please. I promise."

Doctor Barton threw the file he was holding down on the table in exasperation. "Fine!" he exclaimed, leaving the room.

"_There's a huge hole in the wall_," Prentiss continued. "_Probably a .44, but there's no blood or tissue spray around it_."

"Any idea how he got out?" Reid asked.

"_If he was shot, there are no drag marks, but a body could've been wrapped in something_," Prentiss replied.

"Bureau techs are on the way?" said Reid.

"_Any second_."

"Alright. Write down everything you see and we'll profile from your notes when you get back," said Reid.

"_Oh, and Reid_?" said Prentiss. "_You can't tell any of the others. I called you because you were waiting for me, but the others can't be distracted from the case_."

"Alright," Reid agreed.

"_That includes Morgan_," Prentiss added.

Reid let out an audible sigh. "Yeah, I know. I wish I could tell him, but we need to focus on this case right now," he said. "We'll figure this out when we solve this one and you get back."

"_How's Doctor Barton_?" Prentiss asked.

Reid sighed again, watching Barton pacing in the other room. "It's a huge list of cases to go through," he said.

"_Okay, don't worry about here. I've got this,_" Prentiss assured Reid. _"Just stay focused_."

"All right. You, too," said Reid, hanging up. "Doctor Barton," he called. "I'm sorry about that. Agent Prentiss has been called away on an emergency."

"You've got to be kidding me," Barton said, exasperated.

"I'm confident that the two of us can do this together, right now," said Reid. "All right, we know he's been killing Hispanic males as surrogates. Did you separate the case files?"

"Yeah."

"All right, how many of the surgeries fit the criteria?" Reid asked.

"Eighty-two," Barton replied, picking up his list.

"All right, now let me ask you this," said Reid. "On how many of those dates did you operate on somebody else as well?"

"Seventy-five."

"Did any of those patients die on the table?"

"Ten," Barton replied. "No, wait. 11."

"All right, 11. That's where we start. This whole thing, this is about choice. He's forcing you to play God with your son because the last time you had a choice, your decision devastated him," Reid explained.

"I'm a doctor. I just save people," Barton protested.

"I know. It doesn't matter to him. All that matters to him is that you had an alternative and you didn't take it," said Reid. "Now how many of those surgeries involved patients under twenty?"

"Six," Barton answered. "We get a lot of shootings. Mostly gang-related."

"Has a gang member or family member ever threatened you?" Reid asked.

"No. At first when you lose someone, it's mostly confusion and devastation. The anger comes later," Barton explained.

Reid searched through Barton's files for the ones he was looking for, while a part of his brain was screaming at him to call Morgan and tell him about Hotch. He was worried about their Unit Chief, and that worry was weighing on his mind terribly. The only way to get rid of it was to talk to Morgan. But he couldn't. Not yet.

"All right," Reid said when he had the files in front of him, "we have six dates when you operated on a Hispanic male, and the same night, a patient under twenty died. "What I'm going to do is I'm gonna read the names and dates off to you and you tell me anything you can remember."

"Okay."

"All right, let's start with January 22nd, Tyler Hayes, multiple gunshot wounds," Reid read off.

The doctor shook his head, not remembering anything of significance. This continued for all the names Reid read off. He could tell the doctor was beginning to get very frustrated, and Reid had to admit that he was as well. He just wanted this case to be over. He wanted to find the UnSub, so he could tell Morgan and the others about Hotch, and find him, and be back in Morgan's arms again.

"This is no use," Barton sighed. "I would remember if I was threatened."

"Did any of them ask you about your family?" Reid asked. Barton shook his head, looking over at the clock. "We have time," Reid assured him.

"Okay."

The pair continued working, looking through the files they had shortlisted, but still Doctor Barton could come up with nothing. "I don't understand," he said. "These surgeries were all hours apart. I didn't have to choose between patients. If he's punishing me for my choices, none of these fit."

"All right. Look at the note again and compare it against the wording on the charts," Reid suggested. "A lot of times, UnSubs will subconsciously mirror the wording of situations."

Barton looked back down at the letter again, holding it in his hand. He looked up suddenly as a memory hit him.

"Do you remember something?" Reid asked.

"Uh, I don't know. It was right after New Year's. There was a car accident. One of the victims was Hispanic," Barton recalled.

"New Years…" Reid repeated to himself, searching through the medical charts. "January 3rd. There was a two-car collision. You operated on a Hector Ledezma. But that was your only surgery that night."

"That's because I didn't operate on the boy," Barton realised. He told Reid the story of Jason Meyers and his father, who had been devastated when Barton had told him he hadn't operated on his son. Hearing this, Reid instantly picked up his phone and called Garcia.

"Garcia, I need you to find a patient in the system named Jason Meyers," he said.

"_He was admitted January 3__rd__, on life support_," Garcia started saying. "_Oh no_."

"What?"

"_He was taken off the ventilator and declared legally dead three days ago_," said Garcia.

"Who's his father?" Reid asked.

"_Patrick Meyers, age 45_," Garcia replied.

"Get a photo of him to the school immediately. I think he's our UnSub," said Reid.

"_Okay, yeah, it's on __the__ way_," said Garcia, hanging up.

Hopeful that he had the right man, Reid bent over and began studying the case file again, not looking up until Doctor Barton cleared his throat.

"Where're you going?" Reid asked, watching the man put on his jacket.

"The note says not to deviate from my routine, and I always pick up Jeffrey on my days off," Barton explained.

"All right, I'm gonna come with you," said Reid. Before he could get out of his seat, though, his phone began to ring. "Yeah," he answered.

"'_LC' on the UnSub's note. It stands for 'Living Children'_," said Prentiss.

"Are you sure?"

"_It's administrative. It's when their afraid a patient's gonna go on life support and they don't have a DNR order_," Prentiss explained. "_Reid_?" she said when the genius didn't answer her.

"What if the UnSub was trying to tell Doctor Barton that _he_ is actually the target and that he's going to leave his son without a father?" Reid realised. He looked up as he heard the front door open. "Barton!" he called, leaping from the couch.

"Doctor?" he heard a man say from outside. Reid ran to the front door and tackled Barton to the ground seconds before the gun went off. He couldn't help the noise that escaped his lips as pain exploded in his knee. He could see blood pouring from the wound, and realised the bullet the UnSub had gotten off had hit his knee. He was in pain. So much pain. But he could think about that right now. He had to think about the UnSub, and stopping him from killing Doctor Barton.

* * *

><p>At Jeffrey's school, Morgan, JJ and Rossi had just finished facilitating the evacuation of all the students. Morgan had welcomed the task; it made it easier for him to keep his mind on the job, and not to let it drift to Reid. No sooner had all the buses left, though, then JJ's phone began to ring. "Hello?" she said. As the person on the other end spoke, JJ blanched, her shock and worry evident on her face. "Are you sure? All right, thank you." She hung up her phone and turned to look at the others.<p>

"What is it?" Rossi asked.

"Apparently Emily put in an emergency call for police and ambulance to Barton's house," said JJ. "She's not there herself, but she was on the phone to Reid. Shots were fired, and there is a federal agent possibly down."

Morgan knew his expression mirrored JJ's as he realised what she meant. "Spencer might have been shot," he said. He looked up at the other two, his expression frantic. "We have to get over there," he begged.

"Let's go," Rossi agreed, and the three of them raced out the door, praying that Reid was okay.

At the same time that his fellow agents were receiving that news, Reid was shielding Doctor Barton with his body, all the while applying pressure to the freely bleeding wound in his knee. "Are you hit?" he asked Barton.

"No," Barton replied.

"Grab my gun. My gun!" Reid told him, reaching out.

"Get away from him! Get away from him!" the UnSub yelled, while Barton passed Reid his gun.

"Whatever you do, stay down," Reid begged Barton before facing the UnSub, holding his gun steady.

"Don't protect him!" said the man.

"Drop the gun!" Reid pleaded.

"He killed my son!" the man cried.

"He did not kill your son. Your son was killed by a car accident," Reid countered.

"Stand up!" the man ordered, ignoring Reid.

"I'm going to ask you again. I do not want to shoot you. Please, drop the gun," Reid implored.

"Stand up, you coward!" the man said to Barton

"Mr Meyers, listen to me," said Reid, his voice softening. "All right, it's over. Doctor Barton did not kill your son. Your son was killed by a car. And this is not what he would want. Okay?" Meyers began to lower his gun as Reid talked, his expression one of anguish. "So drop the gun. Please." Reid could hear the sirens, and knew that the ambulance was on its way. _Just a little while longer…_ He was still holding his gun up, but his hand was starting to shake- he was losing the energy to keep his arm steady. "Don't do it," Reid begged.

"I'm sorry," Meyers said, raising his gun again. Before the man could do anything though, Reid fired, shooting the man in the chest. He gratefully lowered his own gun, panting heavily, really beginning to feel the pain in his knee. "I'm fine. Go to him. Go to him," he said to Barton when the doctor tried to look at his wound. "Kick his gun away. Make sure his gun's not near him."

Reid watched Barton work on the man, his own expression twisted in extreme pain as he pressed his hand to his knee. "The medics are almost here. Can you keep him stabilised?" he asked.

"Yes, I think so," Barton replied.

Reid looked back down at his own wound, which was still bleeding. _Oh god, Derek's gonna be so mad at me when he finds out I went and got myself hurt again…_ Reid was almost worried about seeing Morgan, but he found that thoughts of his boyfriend lessened the pain. _Derek_, he said to himself. _Derek, Derek, Derek, Derek, Derek…_ He could see the ambulance and the police pull up, and squeezed his eyes shut again the pain as they raced over to Meyers, trying to stop the bleeding from his gunshot wound.

Reid opened his eyes again as Doctor Barton raced over to him. "Let me see," Barton whispered.

Reid removed his hand from the wound, letting Barton look at it. As he did so, he heard another set of sirens getting closer and he saw a black car pull into the driveway. _The team. Derek_.

"I think it went clean through," the doctor was saying.

"You might've just saved his life," Reid said.

"Keep pressure on this, okay?" said Barton.

Reid could see the others racing towards him, worried expressions on their faces. Close behind them was Barton's son, Jeffrey "I'm good. I'm fine. Go to your son," Reid insisted. "I'm good. I'm fine. Go." Barton looked up and ran over to his son, at the same time as the rest of the team ran towards Reid. The look of fear on Morgan's face was almost breaking Reid's heart; he hated being the one to put Morgan in that much pain.

"Are you okay?" JJ asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Reid replied, looking Morgan in the eye as he spoke.

"We'll get you to a hospital," Morgan assured him, picking up his gun. He didn't trust himself to say anything else; he wasn't quite sure whether he'd break down or start yelling at Reid for getting himself hurt again.

Reid winced in pain before speaking again. "You need to find Emily. Call Emily," he insisted.

"Where is she?" Rossi asked.

"Something's happened to Hotch," said Reid. The other three looked at him, stunned.

"What do you mean, something's happened to Hotch?" said JJ.

"Emily went to go get him from his apartment, so he could help us go through Barton's files," Reid explained. "And he wasn't there. Someone had taken him."

"Are you sure?" said Rossi.

"She said there was a pool of blood on the floor and a hole in the wall, as if from a gunshot," Reid explained. "You need to call her. Please." Reid winced and clutched at his knee, trying hard not to scream.

"We really need to get you to a hospital, Spencer," said Morgan, looking Reid right in the eyes.

"Call Emily first, please," Reid begged. "I can't go until I know where Hotch is."

Knowing they'd never be able to convince Reid of any other course of action, JJ pulled out her phone and called Prentiss. "Emily, where are you?" she asked as soon as Prentiss picked up. "All right. We'll be there soon." She paused, as Prentiss asked her something. "The bullet got Spence in the knee," she replied. "He's in pain, but he's fine. It went right through. Okay, see you soon." She hung up the phone and turned to face the others. "Prentiss is with Hotch, at St Sebastian Hospital."

"You need to go to them," Reid insisted, at the same time pressing down hard on his knee.

"I need to stay with you," Morgan argued.

"Derek, I'm going to be _fine_," said Reid. "The bullet went straight through my leg. But Hotch- he could be in serious trouble. He needs your help, not me."

Morgan opened his mouth to argue again, but the fierce look in Reid's eyes made him think again. Reid wasn't going to let him come to the hospital with him, no matter how much he may have wanted Morgan there. He wasn't going to let him join him at the hospital until they'd worked things out with Hotch.

"Fine," Morgan sighed. "But I'm calling Garcia to come and stay with you until I get there, okay?"

Reid nodded, knowing that arguing with Morgan on this was useless. He knew Morgan needed Garcia to stay with Reid to preserve his own peace of mind, and Reid wasn't going to deny his boyfriend that.

"You know, we could send Spence to the same hospital that Hotch is at," JJ suggested. "It'd make things a lot easier."

"Good idea," Morgan agreed. He turned to the EMT's that had come up behind him. "Can you take him to Saint Sebastian Hospital?" The EMT's nodded, and began to load Reid onto the stretcher. "Hey," said Morgan softly, drawing Reid's attention back to him. "I'll see you real soon, okay pretty boy?" He reached out and squeezed Reid's hand tightly. "I love you."

"I know," Reid whispered back. "I love you too, Derek. Just focus on Hotch. For me."

Morgan nodded, and after watching the EMT's carry Reid away he turned back to face Rossi and JJ. "Let's go see Hotch and Prentiss," he said.

* * *

><p>Prentiss rose from her seat beside Hotch's hospital bed as soon as she saw her three fellow agents walking down the hallway towards them. "He still isn't conscious yet," she said, meeting them outside the doorway to the room.<p>

"You sure it was Foyet?" Rossi asked.

"He had Morgan's credentials," Prentiss told them.

"Did they catch him on the security cam?" Morgan asked, trying not to let what Prentiss had just said get to him. _I've got to worry about Hotch, and then Spencer. I can't worry about myself right now_.

"You could see him dropping Hotch off, but the camera's only on the entrance, so I have no idea what direction he went once he left the hospital," Prentiss replied.

"It doesn't make sense for him to have brought Hotch to the ER," said JJ, confused.

"We know Foyet gets off on power and control," said Rossi. "Maybe what he wants is for Hotch to know his life was in his hands."

"He could do that without risking the hospital," said Morgan.

"Agents, he's waking up," said the doctor suddenly, coming up behind them. "Remember, he's weak, don't push him."

The four agents headed into the hospital room and gathered around Hotch's bed, where the agent's eyes were slowly beginning to open. "Where am I?" Hotch whispered, his voice weak and cracking.

"You're in the hospital," said Rossi.

Hotch let out a long breath. "How did I get here?" Hotch asked.

"Foyet drove you," said Morgan.

"Can you remember what happened?" Prentiss asked him gently.

"What did he take?" Hotch said, completely ignoring Prentiss's question.

"What do you mean?" said Rossi.

"The Reaper always takes something from his victims," Hotch reminded them. "Do we know what he took?"

"There was a page missing from your day planner. In the address section, the 'B's'," Prentiss replied.

The team could see the panic beginning to grow in Hotch's eyes, before he closed them again. "What did he leave?" he asked.

"I don't know," Prentiss admitted.

"He also leaves something with his victims," said Hotch.

"I looked over your whole apartment, nothing fell out of place," said Prentiss.

"Where are my clothes?" Hotch asked.

Prentiss grabbed the bag containing Hotch's possessions from the other side of the room, placing it on the bed as she pulled out Hotch's bloody clothes. Hotch grabbed his own wallet and opened it, revealing the photo of Haley and Jack that had been left inside. Hotch leant back against his pillow, panic really starting to set in. "Haley's maiden name is Brooks," he told them. "I always listed her in the 'B's' in my personal information in case it fell into the wrong hands. He knows where they live."

The team looked around at each other, panicked. "We'll go out and get them," Morgan declared. "We'll bring them in safely."

"I'll stay here," Prentiss decided. "That way you can call and let us know what's going on."

Morgan nodded. "We'll let you know as soon as we can," he promised, as he, JJ and Rossi raced out of the room, Rossi already calling a SWAT team.

As they walked across the parking lot to the SUVs, JJ tried to call Haley. "Haley's not answering," she informed them.

Morgan pulled out his own phone and pressed speed dial. "Garcia," he said.

"_Right here_," she answered.

"I need FBI SWAT deployed to Hotch's old address," Morgan told her. "Do it now."

"Oh, God. Do you think he's going after Haley and Jack?" Garcia asked.

"I don't know," Morgan admitted. "Just send the SWAT team. Tell them to wait for our instructions. We're on our way."

"Consider them there," said Garcia.

"Oh, and baby girl?" said Morgan. "There something else you can do for me. I need you to go to the hospital and wait with Spencer, okay?"

"_Of course, my love_," Garcia agreed.

Reid didn't have to wait long for Garcia to show up. The doctor had only left his room a few minutes earlier when Garcia burst in, colourful and with worry etched in her face. "You better be okay," she said. "Because if you're not, I'm going to have to hurt you myself."

Reid had to laugh at that. "I'm fine," he assured her. "The bullet went straight through my leg and out the other side. There isn't going to be any lasting damage."

"That's good, then," said Garcia. "Derek's not going to be as worried about you, then."

Reid sighed, looking down at his fidgeting hands. "And when he stops worrying, he's gonna be mad," he said.

"Why on earth would he be mad?" Garcia asked, confused.

"Because I'm always getting myself into trouble," said Reid. "He was mad when I went into that room where the anthrax was and got infected."

"Oh, boy wonder," said Garcia. "He's just using that to mask how worried he actually is, and how relieved he is that you're okay. He's not going to be mad. Besides, I think this situation is different. You didn't dive headfirst into danger. You were protecting Doctor Barton. That makes a difference."

"You think?"

"I know," said Garcia with a smile. She studied Reid for a moment. "Derek didn't want to go with the others, did he?" she realised.

Reid shook his head. "Nope," he replied. "I made him go. He needs to be out there helping Hotch. He's needed there right now. He'll be back here as soon as he can." Reid sighed, wincing a little as he shifted his leg. "It's still sore," he told Garcia. "I, well, I can't take any morphine or any other narcotics, and the meds they are able to give me aren't very strong."

"Maybe you should sleep," Garcia suggested. "Your body will need the rest to recover properly, and this way you won't have to spend the time wondering when your knight in shining armour will return."

"Will you wake me when he gets back?" Reid asked.

"Of course I will," Garcia promised, and Reid closed his eyes. "Now sleep, baby boy. He'll be here soon."

* * *

><p>It wasn't long until Morgan, JJ and Rossi had arrived at Hotch's old place, with the SWAT team already waiting for them. They headed for the back door, entering the house as quietly as they possibly could. They cleared every room they came across, before Morgan and JJ burst into the room where Haley was, causing her to scream.<p>

"It's okay. It's okay," JJ assured her.

"Oh, my God," Haley gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"It's okay. Everything's okay," JJ repeated.

"We got her," Morgan spoke into his microphone.

"What's going on?" Haley asked.

"Is there anyone else in the house?" said JJ.

"No. There's no one here," Haley replied, panicked and confused.

"Haley, where's Jack?" Morgan asked, as Rossi entered the room.

"He's at a friend's house for a play date," Haley replied.

"We need to get him back here," said Rossi. "We'll explain everything."

"Where's Aaron?" Haley asked.

"He's in the hospital," Morgan replied. He cringed inwardly when he said hospital. It reminded him that Reid was in there, without him by his side.

"What?" Haley gasped.

"Haley, please," said Morgan. "Call for Jack. Tell them I'm on my way to pick him up. I promise you we'll explain. Call for him right now. Text me the address." Morgan left the room and got into one of the SUVs, driving off. He only had to wait a few minutes before JJ texted him the address. He knew that street; it wasn't far. He was glad he knew the street, too- it allowed him to think about other things. Like Reid in hospital, for example.

After he'd gotten the text from JJ, Morgan had fired off a quick text to Garcia: _How's pretty boy doing?_ Garcia had replied in only moments, _He's okay. Sleeping now. He's worried you're going to be mad at him for getting himself hurt again_.

Morgan heart had sunk when he'd read that text. Reid thought he'd be mad? He was worried, yes, but definitely not mad. Especially since Reid had gotten himself hurt not by blindly going into a dangerous situation, but by protecting a man from a dangerous killer.

_If anything I'm proud of you, pretty boy_, Morgan thought to himself. _And I just want to get through this thing with Hotch and Haley and Jack so I can get back to you, and nurse you back to health_.

It wasn't long until Morgan arrived at Jack's friends house, apologising to the mother, explaining that an emergency had come up and loading Jack into the SUV. To placate the slightly upset and confused child, Morgan let him turn on the siren as he drove. Jack instantly brightened as the siren started going, and Morgan had to smile at that. _If Hotch isn't careful, that kid's gonna be a cop or an FBI agent like his daddy_, Morgan thought to himself.

Morgan returned to the house to find that Haley had already started packing, and that JJ and Rossi had explained everything to her. "Mummy!" Jack cried as Morgan carried him into the room. Morgan put the boy down, and he went up to Haley with a big smile on his face. "They let me turn on the siren!" he exclaimed.

"Wow, that's so great baby. Did you have fun?" Haley said as JJ looked at Morgan, who only gave her a small smile.

"I'll help start a bag in Jack's room," JJ said.

"Okay," said Haley, before looking back at Jack. "How many times did you run it?" she asked him. "How many times? Three?"

Rossi and Morgan looked between each other, sad looks on both of their faces. Morgan looked down at his phone, but there were no further messages from Garcia. He sighed, looking out the window and shifting on his feet. Now that he knew Haley and Jack were safe, he just wanted to get back to Reid.

Haley, looking up, noticed Morgan's restlessness. "Is something wrong, Morgan?" she asked him. Looking around the room, she finally realised who else was missing. "Where's Doctor Reid?"

"He's, uh, he's in the hospital," Morgan told her, unable to stop his worry from creeping into his voice. "We had a case this morning, and he got shot in the knee protecting a man from our killer."

Haley fixed Morgan with a scrutinising gaze, sensing that there was something more behind Morgan's worry for his fellow agent. "Hey Jack, why don't we help JJ pack your bag, okay?" Rossi suggested. Jack nodded and Rossi took the young boy's hand, leading him from the room.

"You're awfully worried about Reid," Haley noticed, getting to her feet. "More so than I would have expected."

"I should be there with him," Morgan said. "Me, not Garcia. But he wanted me to make sure Hotch was okay, and then you."

"But why you?" said Haley. "Why is it you that should be with him, and not Garcia?" Morgan didn't say anything; he just looked up at Haley. She looked into his eyes for a moment, before seeing the truth there. "Oh. You and Reid?"

Morgan nodded. "Me and Reid," he confirmed. "For nearly four months now."

"Well, that I wasn't expecting," Haley admitted. "From what Aaron has told me in the past, you are- well, were- a ladies' man. Although, I guess it really isn't that surprising, once I think about it."

"It isn't?" said Morgan, surprised.

"You two were always close," Haley said. "I could tell from what Aaron would tell me, and when he'd take me out with you guys. Once you realise it's there, you can see it. And besides, with both of you being in the BAU, you understand the job and what it does to you. Maybe that will keep you together, where me and Aaron couldn't."

"You're surprisingly nonchalant about this," Morgan pointed out.

"It could have something to do with everything that's happened today," said Haley. "But it's also because I believe that everyone deserves to be happy, no matter who it's with."

"Thanks, Haley," Morgan said, as Rossi and JJ returned with Jack and his bag. "Let's go to the hospital, shall we?"

It didn't take them very long to get to the hospital. Haley became increasingly anxious as they drove, and Jack, sitting beside his mother, became very quiet. Morgan was becoming just as anxious as Haley, although for a different reason: he was desperate to see Reid again, and confirm with his own his that his boyfriend was okay.

When they arrived at the hospital, a US Marshal was already there, waiting for them. Morgan wanted to head to see Reid straight away, but he knew he couldn't. He had to make sure everything was sorted out here, first.

"I'll go," JJ whispered to him. "I'll be back soon, okay?" Morgan nodded, and watched JJ walk off down the hall. _I'll be there soon, pretty boy. I'll be there soon_.

* * *

><p>Reid had only been awake for about ten minutes when there was a knock on the door, and JJ appeared with a small smile on her face. "Hey, Spence," she said softly.<p>

"Hey, JJ," Reid replied, slowly easing himself into a sitting position.

"I'm gonna go get some coffee," Garcia said, rising from her seat beside Reid's bed.

"You don't have to leave on my account, Garcia," JJ said.

"It's okay," Garcia said. "I haven't moved from this seat since I arrived, even while Reid was sleeping. I could _really_ use the coffee." Garcia reached over and ruffled Reid's hair, flashing him a smile before leaving the room.

"How're you feeling?" JJ asked him, sitting down in the seat Garcia had just vacated.

"Better now," Reid said. "Sleeping helped. It's still… it's still quite sore, but not as bad as it was. The doctors said I'm going to be perfectly fine. The bullet went right through my leg; it didn't get lodged in there, so there isn't going to be any lasting damage."

"Are you going to be able to walk?" JJ asked.

"I'm going to be on crutches for a while," Reid admitted, gesturing at the crutches leaning up against the wall. "But then again, kicking down doors is Derek's job, anyway." He smiled when he finished talking, and JJ had to laugh at that; it wasn't often that Reid made jokes.

"He'll be glad to hear you're okay," said JJ.

"Has he been worried?" Reid asked.

"Of course he has," said JJ. "The man he loves has been shot in the leg. You expected him not to be?"

Reid chuckled. "No, I guess not. Hey, what happened with Hotch, anyway? Garcia never told me."

"Foyet went after him in his apartment," JJ told him, to shocked gasps. "He stabbed him, then brought him here to the hospital."

"How on earth did he get in here without being detected?" Reid asked. JJ hesitated, not wanting to tell Reid. "Jayje?"

JJ sighed, but she knew Reid had a right to know. "He used Morgan's credentials," she said.

"He did?" Reid gasped. "Is Derek okay?"

"See, I knew you'd do this," said JJ. "You shouldn't be worrying about Morgan. He wouldn't be very happy to hear that."

"I can't dwell on my own pain, JJ," said Reid dismissively. "Seriously, is he okay?"

JJ sighed again. "I think so," she answered. "He's trying not to let it get to him."

"Can… can you go get him?" Reid asked. "I mean, not that I don't want you here, I just-"

"Spence, it's okay," JJ laughed. "You want to see him, I get it. I'm happy to go get him for you."

JJ found Morgan with Prentiss, gathered around the window to watch Haley and Jack leave. "I just talked to Spence. He's going to be fine," she told them. "He's going to have to be on crutches for a while, but he said kicking down doors is Morgan's job anyway." JJ and Prentiss both chuckled, but Morgan was still looking pensively out the window.

"You know, Foyet having your credentials had nothing to do with any of this," said Prentiss. "It was just his way of trying to torture you."

"Yeah, I know," said Morgan. "Foyet's about power and control. He was hoping to watch me fall apart, and now he wants to destroy Hotch."

"Exactly," said Prentiss. "That's his plan, and now we fight it."

"And besides," said JJ, "you can't be worrying about that right now. You have an injured boyfriend lying in a hospital bed, waiting for you."

"Spence," Morgan whispered, as if suddenly remembering what had happened to him. "I'm going to go see him."

"Of course," said JJ. "Although I've got to warn you, he knows Foyet used your credentials to get in here. I think he's more worried about how you're feeling right now than about his knee."

"Thanks for the head's up, JJ," said Morgan, turning and heading down the corridor to Reid's room.

Morgan stopped in the doorway when he reached Reid's room. Seeing his boyfriend lying in the hospital bed, his face pale from blood loss, was tough for Morgan, even though he knew he was going to be fine. _He's okay. He's perfectly fine_, Morgan assured himself, before he stepped into the room. "Pretty boy?" he said.

Reid turned his head, and his face instantly lit up when he saw Morgan. "Derek!" he cried, sitting up in bed as fast as he was able.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, baby, not so fast," said Morgan, crossing the room so he was beside Reid, and sitting down in the chair beside the bed. "You need to rest."

"I'm okay," Reid promised. "I've already been sleeping anyway, while Garcia was here. I just wanna talk to you." He reached out and took Morgan's hand, squeezing it.

"JJ tell you about Foyet using my credentials, then?" Morgan surmised.

"Yep," said Reid, still not letting go of Morgan's hand. "Are you okay?"

Morgan chuckled, shaking his head. "Ah, that's so typical of you, Spencer," he said. "You've been shot in the leg, and all you can worry about is how I'm feeling about Foyet using my credentials to get Hotch into the hospital." Reid didn't say anything; he just fixed a pointed gaze on Morgan. "I'm okay, I promise," Morgan said. "Foyet just wants me to fall apart. Well, that's not going to happen."

"Good. I'm glad." Reid smiled, leaning over and kissing Morgan.

"Guess you only have yourself to worry about, then," said Morgan. "What did the doctors say, anyway?"

"That I'm lucky," Reid answered. "The bullet went straight through my leg, and there isn't going to be any lasting damage. I'm going to be on crutches for a while, though."

"How long are you going to be in here for?" Morgan asked, brushing a lock of hair out of Reid's face tenderly.

"They reckon just tonight," said Reid. "I'm going to be off work for a week or two, though. I'd ask you to stay with me, but since Hotch is probably going to be out for a while…"

"I'm going to have to stay at work," Morgan finished. "I want to stay with you too, pretty boy. We've got the next two days off, though. And you know I'm going to spoil you rotten."

Reid chuckled. "Yeah, I know. I would expect nothing less from you."

"Given that you aren't allowed to move your leg, I may just have to help you wash," said Morgan, winking at Reid and flashing him a suggestive smile.

"You may just have to," Reid agreed, unable to stop himself from smiling back at Morgan.

"Now, who to I have to talk to so I can get them to let me spend the night here?" Morgan asked.

"Derek, you don't have to do that-" Reid began, but Morgan interrupted him.

"Baby, I _want _to stay here, okay?" Morgan said. "And besides remember that time _I_ was in the hospital while we were in a case, and neither of us could sleep that night? Trust me, if you want to be able to sleep, you're gonna want me here tonight."

Reid laughed. "Okay, okay. You might have to flash your FBI badge or something, though. I'm pretty sure she won't let you stay any other way."

Reid had been right; just asking his doctor whether Morgan could stay with him that night had resulted in a flat out 'no'. But, after informing the doctor that Morgan's was Reid's boyfriend and showing her his badge, she had backed down. Morgan had slept in the chair beside Reid's bed, and woke up a full hour before Reid stiff and sore, but happy to know that his boyfriend was right beside him and he was okay.

The doctors let Reid go home early the next afternoon. There was an FBI-issued SUV waiting for them, and Morgan helped Reid navigate himself and his crutches into the front passenger seat. There was much relief when they both arrived home.

"So, Spence," said Morgan, "how about you go settle down on the couch, and we'll watch one of those horror movies you love so much?"

Reid smiled. "I'd like that," he said.

* * *

><p>Morgan grinned lecherously at Reid, who was sitting on the couch across the room watching some sci-fi movie that Morgan honestly had no interest in. It had been a week since he'd been shot in the knee, and while the general pain had gone down significantly, Reid could still barely move his leg. And he'd been bored at home during the day, especially since Morgan wasn't there. Luckily, he'd managed to convince Morgan to bring some work home to him, and he'd been able to do that. Still, he was very glad to be going back to work the next day. He couldn't wait to go back.<p>

Advancing slowly on the injured man, Morgan was careful not to make any noise, wishing him to remain blissfully unaware for as long as possible. Crouching behind him, Morgan reached up stealthily and grasped Reid by the shoulders, causing the man to squeal – in a most feminine way – and spill the contents of his coffee cup down his front.

"Derek!" He scolded, his voice higher than normal in his anger, "What was that?"

"That," Morgan smirked, "was me creating a mess so you could finally allow me to give you that bath I promised."

Reid sighed, though now his aggravation was mostly fake, "Well, go on then."

It didn't take much time at all for Morgan to prepare everything as, whilst the water was warming up, he had divulged Reid of all his clothing, being cautious around his injured leg, and laid him onto the bed.

Leaving the room for a second, Reid was left on the bed, unwilling to move, knowing that whatever Morgan had planned was going to be good. Seeing the man return with a bucket and pile of towels Reid was confused.

"A sponge bath?"

"Yep, a sponge bath," Morgan grinned. "I think I can pull of the sexy nurse look quite well."

"You are very sexy," Reid agreed, a light blush adorning his cheeks, "but you don't look like a real nurse."

"We should buy a costume then shouldn't we? It can join the other one," Morgan winked.

"Derek! One was bad enough," Reid protested. "I don't need anything else suspicious lying around the house."

"Can I at least get the hat?"

Reid, though he wanted to deny his lover, couldn't get past the act that it would look incredibly sexy on the older man. So, instead of an answer, he merely gestured for Morgan to get on with whatever he was planning.

Morgan chucked, but did as instructed. Dipping the soft sponge into the water, he made sure it was wet enough, before moving it over the other man's body.

Reid shivered as the excess water droplets landed on his skin, the cold in sharp contrast to the warmth of his body, but didn't have time to comment before Morgan brought the sponge down and started to massage his skin. It was, he theorised, amazing how quickly water could cool down. The liquid that saturated the sponge was pleasantly warm, just above body temperature, but the little water droplets had been incredibly cold. Their short trip, from the sponge to his body, had leeched much of the latent heat the water molecules contained and the liquid, though it soon warmed up to body temperature on skin contact, was much colder than the sponge.

His train of thought, though interesting, was soon derailed as he realised that Morgan was being far more sensual in his movements than he had to be – and certainly more so than some of the nurses who gave sponge baths, he shuddered and moved his thoughts away from that as quickly as possible, the image reducing the enjoyment he got from this situation dramatically.

With every stroke of the sponge, Morgan was extending his body, the taut muscles of his chest and arms – his damn shirt having been discarded in the process of obtaining the bucket – flexing and rippling under his dark skin. Reid groaned slightly, a spike of need flowing through him and his built up arousal, from two cases and an injury, making itself known.

"My my, it looks like somewhere hasn't been getting enough attention," Morgan said lowly. "We really should take care of that."

Reid just watched, entranced, as Morgan's arm moved back down to the bucket before moving to hover over Reid's crotch. Looking the genius in the eye, Morgan slowly lowered the sponge, squeezing slightly allowing a trail of cold droplets to land on the genius' engorged member. Reid shivered as the droplets warmed up and ran down from his tip and to his balls, an odd tingly sensation left in their wake, before they dripped from his skin onto the bed sheets below him.

Morgan, seeing this reaction, took things a step further and began to massage Reid's upper thighs with the sponge, coming tantalisingly close to the agent's most receptive region, but moving away before any contact could be made.

This game continued for a while, Morgan slowly washing all his lover's sensitive areas, watching as the man's cock grew with each one.

Finally Reid couldn't take it anymore. His need, already strong at the start of the bath, was now pulsing beneath his skin and he knew that, because o how long it had been, not much effort would be needed to tip him over the edge. "Morgan," he groaned, "stop teasing me, please. Please."

"Only because you begged, pretty boy," Morgan agreed. "You sound sexy when you beg."

Running the sponge up from the man's inner thigh, Morgan finally reached the destination. Carefully, he ran the sponge over Reid's balls, enjoying the way the man shifted beneath him with each soft touch, soft gasps leaving his mouth.

Satisfied that he was done there, Morgan ran the sponge over Reid's penis, wrapping his hand firmly around the base. He had never tried it personally, but he assumed that the sponge would act much like a sock or any other material would when used for stimulation and change the feeling to something more intense than what a hand could give. The water that still moistened the sponge must also have some effect as, with each stroke of his cock, Reid's moans and gasps increased in volume and he began to squirm a little more.

"Calm down, babe," Morgan said softly, stilling his movements for a second, resulting in a whine from Reid. "Don't move too much, I don't want you to hurt your leg again."  
>"I don't care," Reid protested. "Don't stop."<p>

"But you will care tomorrow. Don't move too much," Morgan said firmly, holding the man's thigh down with his spare hand, preventing any movement.

"Ok, I won't. Please, just please."

Morgan chuckled but agreed, starting his hand movements once more and watching the man unravel in front of him. Reid's breathing was harsh, his breaths being interspersed with breathy pants and quiet moans and his head was thrown back in pleasure as the stimulation activated the hormone receptors in his brain.

Finally, Morgan saw Reid's stomach muscles flutter and continued pumping through the other man's orgasm, each tug bringing out more ropes of white fluid.

Reid could do nothing more than lie there; his muscles, which had all tensed during his orgasm, relaxed at once and he felt completely boneless, his strength wiped out completely.

"You really do need a sponge bath now." Morgan chuckled, setting to work cleaning up the mess he made.

"What about you?" Reid asked, concerned. "I need to help you."

"Later pretty boy. You look exhausted, I can wait."

"Mmm, okay," the genius yawned, "I can do that." He grimaced slightly as he felt the slick mixture of cum and water slide down his legs, "we need to change the sheets don't we?"

Morgan laughed. "Yep."

"We have to do it now, don't we?" said Reid, stifling another yawn.

Morgan laughed again. "Sadly, yes. You sit on the chair; I'll do it. You can't help, Spence," he added when Reid opened his mouth to protest. "You can't walk without crutches, remember?"

Reid sighed. "Fine." He allowed Morgan to help him over to the chair, and watched as his boyfriend changed the sheets.

"You can come to bed now, baby," Morgan said after a few minutes.

"Good," said Reid. "I'm tired."

Reid climbed slowly into bed, careful not to jostle his injured knee. Morgan climbed in next to him, taking the position of the big spoon and wrapping his arms protectively around his younger lover.

"I cant wait to go to work tomorrow," Reid sighed.

"I'd say you should take more time off to let your leg heal more, but I know you'd just ignore my advice and come in anyway. But the truth is, I've missed you being there. It's not the same without you."

Reid smiled in the dark. "Is Hotch back yet?" he asked.

"No. He's going to be a while yet," said Morgan.

"But we'll be there for him when he does, won't we?" said Reid.

"Of course we will," Morgan promised. "Now go to sleep; you'll need it if you want to go back to work tomorrow."

"I can't wait to go back to work," Reid whispered.

"I can't wait for you to come back either, pretty boy," Morgan said. "I cannot wait."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So there you have it- that was_Leg Wound_, 5th in my Morgan and Reid series! What do you guys think? Be sure to shoot me a review and let me know! I will be sure to post the sequel to this a lot sooner than I posted this one, which should be easy considering it's a multi-chapter! The title, which I really don't expect to change, should be _Chicago_. And if you guys are so astute as to notice the title, and remember which CM character grew up there, I think you may figure out what's going to happen! :P**

**Note from Diamond Cobra: "Smut :D Is it weird that I kinda enjoy writing it?" (yes, DC wrote the bath scene... :P)**


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